‘The Office:’ It’s all about the teamwork

The season finale was all about teamwork. The frequently fractious Scrantonites revealed themselves to be a surprisingly well-oiled machine (perhaps because Michael was off working on his long-term wooing of Holly.)

Things got started with a fine cold open, which featured teamwork in the name of leaving work early, a worthy endeavor.

The rest of the ep focused on the Dunder Mifflin company picnic, something we haven’t seen before. Pam and Jim initially approached it warily and with an exit strategy in place, just the way they might approach any company event. And they wound up staying much, much longer than they planned, lured by the blood sport of the volleyball tournament.

The branch versus branch tourney — another example of teamwork — briefly brought out the repressed rage-a-holic inside Andy (“Are you BLIND?”), showed Phyllis’ willingness to fake an injury to get out of playing any more and also revealed Pam’s surprising affinity for the game (and for street-inspired trash talk). The biggest revelation on the field, though, may have been the possibility of a rekindling of the DwAngela romance. When Dwight’s best buddy Rolfe insulted Angela one too many times (“What does one fiance plus one lover equal? One whore”), Dwight called him on it, drawing a warm smile of appreciation from his ex. Perhaps DwAngela will be a couple once more in the near future.

Michael hopes that will be the case for him and Holly, too, though the fact that she is serious enough about A.J. to be building a house with him doesn’t bode well. They do operate on the same wavelength — I’m guessing that Jan would never have helped him cook up “SlumDunder Mifflinaire,” their horrifying sketch tracing the history of Dunder Mifflin (complete with a bit of torture from the movie). Not everyone was appalled by it — Stanley, perhaps a little drunk, might have been the sole fan of the piece: “I don’t usually enjoy the theater, but this is delightful.”

The fact that David Wallace felt compelled to introduce the sketch by saying “I have not seen this” was an indicator that he knew it was likely to go horribly awry in some way, though he doesn’t appear to have anticipated the revelation of the impending closure of the Buffalo branch, even when that was one of the questions. (Could he possibly have thought Michael would have answered “Toothbrush?”)

It was a little disappointing that there was no interaction between Handsome Charles Miner and Michael, but Michael was so focused on Holly that he didn’t seem to register anyone else (aside from A.J., acknowledged hostilely, and David Wallace, acknowledged briefly.) One wonders if Charles would have been such a big jerk in the final game if corporate had been playing another branch — he seemed to want to personally take the Scranton folks down, even resorting to fake concern over Pam’s sort-of injury to get their best player out of the game. That ultimately gave us that terrific silent movie of an ending as Pam and Jim learn that she’s pregnant. No dialogue needed — the jubliant look on Jim’s face when he stepped out of the room to tell Dwight to send in the subs said it all.

So, what did you think, fellow fans? Were you satisfied by the season finale? And what do you hope is going to happen to our favorite paper company branch this fall?

What we learned: Dwight (not surprisingly) makes his own sun screen/insect repellent. Michael is developing chair pants. And the biggie at the end bears mentioning again: Pam’s pregnant!

Unanswered questions: Why on earth would Michael eat a family-sized pot pie? Why on earth would David Wallace confide to Michael that the Buffalo branch was closing? And, finally, why on earth would David Wallace ask Michael to do a sketch of any kind?

Best lines: Michael, in his list of reasons that he and Holly should be together: “You and I are soup snakes.” Charles, expressing his continued hostility toward Jim: “Must be nice to get a rest from all your rest.” Stanley, laughing over Phyllis’ dismay over the Scrantonites’ advancement in the volleyball tournament: “Had to be part of a group.” Dwight, summing up why they had to press forward in the tournmanet: “If we don’t play, the other team wins.”